Mother guilty of murder after getting son to drink concoction to exorcise a demon

[cleanhippie]

A US woman who forced her two-year-old son to drink a concoction of olive oil and vinegar because she thought it would exorcise a demon from him has been convicted of murder.

Latisha Lawson was also convicted of neglect and battery charges, the Journal Gazette reported. Jurors deliberated for about five hours before finding her guilty. Lawson faces at least 45 years in prison when she is sentenced next month.

She testified on Friday that the concoction was necessary to drive a demon named "Marzon" from her son Jezaih's body. She and another woman allegedly thought their other children were possessed as well, so they also were given the mixture to drink.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/mother-guilty-of-murder-after-getting-son-to-drink-concoction-to-exorcise-a-demon-20110531-1fdf0.html#ixzz1NwWqWkNc


--------------------------------


Some other highlights...

"I knew and believed I was interacting with a demon at that time," she said. She said she knew it was time to exorcise the demon because God told her so.

After her son's death, she said she was convinced that he would be resurrected.

"I went in and just asked God to bring him back," she said, sobbing. "He did it in the Bible. He did it with Lazarus. He did it with a child in the Bible."

[woodsprite]

1. Poor Baby!

:(


I'm a church-going person of the Presdbyterian variety. I think people would be better served if they would realize that the Bible is like the pirate code - more like guidelines.
I don't know what it is that tips people over the edge like that. Mental illness? Mass hysteria?

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. The only demon that boy had was his mother. nt

[Ninjaneer]

3. So sad = ( n/t

[Deep13]

4. The DA seems to imply that there was more going on than the exorcism.

By obstructing the kid's airway, it looks like she wanted him dead and had fabricated the demon thing as a cover story.

If it really was an unintentional death, I wonder what made it murder rather than manslaughter. Was it because it occurred as a result of the commission of another felony like felony assault or child endangering? Was it "depaved heart murder," that is she acted with such reckless disregard for safety that a fatality was likely?

[jberryhill]

5. "and had fabricated the demon thing as a cover story"

You mean, the kid might not have been possessed by a demon?

[Deep13]

7. Yeah, that may be hard to believe...

...but what I really meant was the mother may have known he wasn't possessed by a demon.

[jberryhill]

8. My kids were. You get used to it.

[RainDog]

9. LOL

btw, I just want to thank you for your contributions to DU. I love to read your replies.

[okasha]

6. Thank you.

I'm glad I'm not the only one to whom it is not clear why what was essentially salad dressing was supposed to have killed the child. It does sound as though it's possible that by holding her hand over the child's mouth, she caused him to aspirate the mixture and basically suffocated him.

Of course, the sensationalist article focuses on the "demon" and the "exorcism," but there does seem to be much more involved, including a history of abuse.

[cleanhippie]

10. Funny how quiet this is. I guess there really is no denying the facts on this one.

[trotsky]

11. SSDD

"I started a homeless shelter because god told me to." --- AWWW, how precious! Look at what wondrous things god and religion are responsible for!

"I killed my child because god told me to." --- HARRRUMPH! Stupid media sensationalizing the religious angle. CLEARLY religion is innocent here, and the person had issues that would have been just the same without religion in the mix.

[rug]

12. Considering this case is about the Indiana insanity defense, it's not surprising.

http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title35/ar36/ch2.html

[struggle4progress]

14. Jury apparently agreed with the prosecution that "Lawson deliberately killed the toddler out of

frustration with his tantrums and sleepless nights"

She also seems to have been convicted of "beating and neglecting her 10-year-old daughter"

[okasha]

18. And just on the demographics

that was likely to be a Christian-majority jury that didn't buy the "demon" story and convicted the woman.

[cleanhippie]

33. I think that one would find that would be true for ANY jury just about.

It being a christian majority.

[struggle4progress]

13. Marzon

Marzon the Walking Robot
http://www.toplessrobot.com.nyud.net:8090/marzon-thumb.jpg
http://www.toplessrobot.com/2008/05/the_10_most_blatant_star_wars_toy_ripoffs_ever_mad.php

Marzon the Silent Blade
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net.nyud.net:8090/__cb20070720090624/wowwiki/images/thumb/e/ea/Marzon.jpg/200px-Marzon.jpg
http://www.wowwiki.com/Marzon_the_Silent_Blade

Marzon the Beach Resort
http://www.myboracayguide.com.nyud.net:8090/slideshow/image.php?im=../images/resorts/Boracay-Marzon-Resort-Main_25_resortsimage.jpg&x=500&y=500
http://www.myboracayguide.com/resorts/boracay-hotel-Marzon-Beach-Resort-25.html

[cleanhippie]

15. You want this story to not be true so bad you can taste it.

Its both funny and sad to watch.

[struggle4progress]

16. It is true that I dislike murders and misadventures. Your sadness is misplaced

[cleanhippie]

17. Hey, its a free country, you can tell yourself whatever you need to in order to sleep comfortably.

Although, in some circles, its called rationalization.

http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/ss/defensemech_6.htm

[struggle4progress]

19. ?

[cleanhippie]

20. ?

[struggle4progress]

21. Now that we've done that, perhaps you'll share your ideas about who "Marzon" is

[cleanhippie]

22. I have no idea.

I guess its the demon they thought had possessed them.

Does it really matter? Are you saying that the name they chose for the demon is an issue? If they had said it was a demon with a church approved name, it would be different?

[laconicsax]

23. Well, obviously.

If the demon had a church approved name, the response would be about "http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=214&topic_id=112845&mesg_id=112952">how very important context is to understanding whatever it was that was being spoken of."

[cleanhippie]

24. Oh, SNAP!!!!!!

But I really would like to know just WHAT the name of the demon has to do with anything.

[darkstar3]

25. Now that, right there, is fucking comedy GOLD.

[struggle4progress]

26. I thought maybe you were interested in the ideas that played a role in such cases

Since "Marzon" seems to be a central character in the woman's narrative, I thought you might want to track down "Marzon"

[cleanhippie]

27. Actually, god is the central character. But you can keep trying to avoid that if you want.

I can empathize with the problem you have with all of this, but maybe its simply time for you and reality to have a chat.

[struggle4progress]

28. Well, the program has two halves: in episode one, the woman forces her kids to

drink oil and vinegar in an alleged effort to expel "Marzon," and somehow the youngest child dies in this episode; in episode two, the woman keeps the dead body in a plastic tote, for an extended period, allegedly as part of her effort to produce resurrection through prayer. The two episodes don't mesh particularly well: perhaps the production replaced scriptwriters midseason

[cleanhippie]

29. Like I said, you rationalize this for yourself any way you need to in order to sleep well.

But I have to admit, its a bit embarrassing to watch you do this.

[struggle4progress]

30. Now let's summarize what we know: (1) The woman told a strange two part story,

involving first the oil-and-vinegar attempt to drive out "Marzon" and next the extended prayers for resurrection of the dead baby in the plastic tote box; (2) The prosecution said she simply wanted to kill the child; (3) The defense said she was insane; (4) Expert witnesses split on whether or not she was insane; (5) The jury went with the prosecution theory, convicted her of murder, and also convicted her of abuse of another child


... At one point, a detective asked her whether she’d consulted with a religious authority, such as her pastor or a church, about what she thought was going on. “No,” Lawson said. “It was clear to me” ...
May 27, 2011 3:00 a.m.
Sanity debated in deadly exorcism
Rebecca S. Green | The Journal Gazette
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110527/LOCAL03/305279959/1002/LOCAL

Did you have further insights?

[dimbear]

31. It would be barely interesting to know what brand of oil she used.

Was it Mazola, on the principle that simil similibus curantur?

[cleanhippie]

32. This has now just become to sad to watch.